L i g h t P l a n e Wor l d
Curt Shoaf takes a frst-time trike passenger alof in his Apollo Monsoon trike. Trike fying is another unique fight experience.
Let's Go Flying
How to get a ride
By Dan Grunloh
"Let's go flying" are three words that are music to the
ears of anyone who loves aviation. The EAA has long
known the importance of airplane rides, including a first
flight for young kids, thus the establishment of EAA's
Young Eagles Program (www.YoungEagles.org). Who
doesn't remember their first flight in an airplane? It can
change a life. Rides are important not only because
they can inspire new pilots, but also they provide an
experience with aviation that helps non-pilots have a
better appreciation for the merits of personal flight. A
chapter's Young Eagles event providing rides to 75 boys
and girls also provides 75 to 150 parents with some
direct interface with pilots of small airplanes.
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Vol.2 N o.12 / December 2013
Airplane rides are equally important for established
pilots. We can't possibly own every aircraft out there
(unless we are incredibly rich), so the only way to expand our flying experience is to go for a ride in someone else's airplane. Life is too short and there are too
many airplanes not to share a ride. A flight in an opencockpit, side-by-side Quicksilver type is something
no one should miss. As a trike pilot, I understand why
passengers coming back from their first flight in a trike
always look happy. Powered parachute instruction has
re-educated me about what it feels like to fly at 35 mph
as we once did in the early ultralight days, and gyroplanes are beckoning me.
Photography by Dan Grunloh